Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom H.
With your physics background and the rules heavy approach to GURPS, I would have thought game mechanics was your forte.
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I'm capable of doing math. I have a couple of university degrees in theoretical physics, which is a fancy way of saying "applied mathematics, with a side order of computer programming." So to an extent, working out rules logic is something I do. It is not, however, the fun part of my job . . . if I found that fun, I'd still be in the academy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom H.
Are you implying that detailed mechanics are a necessary evil to having an immersive experience that is really about the characters?
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Pretty much this. When I actually play games, they are entirely hero-centric. I'm not big on reality simulation because that's just rules all over again. I am, however, a huge fan of digging into the genre rather than letting the game mechanics dominate my thinking.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom H.
And where would you personally place adventure creation on the fun continuum since to me it is more related to dynamic characters than are mechanics?
I had assumed that adventure design was low on your list of priorities, but maybe that was more from a professional content or marketing perspective.
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I'm just plain Not Great at adventure design. The things I do best
as a gamer are: (1) dream up campaign frameworks, (2) create character backstories, and (3) (when GMing) improvise responses to player actions. Unfortunately for me as a professional, gamers don't really buy campaign sketches (or
GURPS Zombies: Day One would sell a lot better) or pregenerated characters (or
GURPS Supporting Cast PDFs would sell better, too), and there's no simple way to sell improvisation. So I tend to stick to game mechanics, but I stay as close to GMing and character-creation advice – and as far from design systems – as I possibly can.